wheel feels a little loose

[gutted]

My left front wheel seems a little loose. It reminds me of when I started to drive without the lugs all the way tightened, but even less wobbly than that. It's not making the wheel bearing noise like the right side was (I replaced the right hub yesterday, that's fixed). It's very barely noticeable, but if you can feel it. Any ideas? It's mostly noticeable when I go over bumps. It's not the lugs, I checked those. Is this bearing going out too? Could it be the ball joint?

[bottledbird68]

I was going to mention to check the balljoint before I read the end of your post :thumbsup:

[383BackInBlack]

could be the bearing is bad...or just needs to be tightened

[ianfromma]

Originally posted by gutted
My left front wheel seems a little loose. It reminds me of when I started to drive without the lugs all the way tightened, but even less wobbly than that. It's not making the wheel bearing noise like the right side was (I replaced the right hub yesterday, that's fixed). It's very barely noticeable, but if you can feel it. Any ideas? It's mostly noticeable when I go over bumps. It's not the lugs, I checked those. Is this bearing going out too? Could it be the ball joint?

i have something kinda like that. when i go over bumps i can hear something like rattling around in my wheel well. but oh well, it still drives :thumbsup:

let me know what it was when you fix it.

[REXLR8]

Originally posted by ianfromma
i have something kinda like that. when i go over bumps i can hear something like rattling around in my wheel well. but oh well, it still drives :thumbsup:

let me know what it was when you fix it.



try the bearing, and gutted change your balljoint ASAP, thats totaly unsafe, or better yet, lift the wheel up in the air with a jack (jack it on the lower control arm <----important) and grab the wheel at 12 and 6, then shake it, if theres any play, then the balljoint=bad, and also take something to wedge between the ground and the wheel, and move the wheel up and down, if there play, then its the balljoint. good luck foo

oh p.s. the plays going to be very slight, so pay attencion

[Five_leta]

Originally posted by MY95mx5
try the bearing, and gutted change your balljoint ASAP, thats totaly unsafe, or better yet, lift the wheel up in the air with a jack (jack it on the lower control arm <----important) and grab the wheel at 12 and 6, then shake it, if theres any play, then the balljoint=bad, and also take something to wedge between the ground and the wheel, and move the wheel up and down, if there play, then its the balljoint. good luck foo

oh p.s. the plays going to be very slight, so pay attencion

That won't work for a strut style or load carring ball joint. If the strut is apart of the spindle and the whole strut turns when you turn the steering wheel than you have to lift from the frame and let the lower control arm dangle like your ballz on a hot July day. If you lift like you said and I think this cars a neon if not then just gisregard anything that I just fuckin said, but if you lift like that you will just compress the ball joint with the tention the spring is pushing down on the joint. Don't get me wrong the way you talked about is right for a tortion bar set up front suspention or a short and long arm set up where there is an upper control are and the spring is pulling down on the lower ball. But where there is not upper control are and the strut acts like the upper control arm you must check the ballz a different way.

[ianfromma]

i have a 97 grand am gt.

i don't know jack about suspension...maybe i'll swing by barnes and nobles and pick up a suspension book tonight

[540Malibu]

yup.....nut behind the wheel is loose....

[ianfromma]

alright, not trying to hijack. i jacked my car up by the control arm, grabbed the top and bottom, pushed and pulled, and i got nothing. solid as a rock.

i'm gonna put it up on stands and get under it and check it out as soon as this shit clears up.

[Five_leta]

Ian I think a grand am has just a lower control are and a strut. So try jacking by the frame and letting the suspention hang. Then pull on the wheel from top to bottom. Not many fwd cars have ball joint go. They are generally pretty easy on those.

[ianfromma]

alright, i'll try that tomorrow.